Hangar 13 is Open For Business. Meet 2K’s New Studio

Meet Hangar 13, 2K’s brand new studio. Keeping with the push towards open-world titles, Hangar 13 is “currently creating an intense action game set in an immersive world and with a strong narrative.”

“Every player story is unique,” is a mantra you’ll see used a lot across Hanger 13’s official site. Giving us the freedom to play the game how we want and make meaningful decisions that influence the world is a core pillar for Hanger 13.

Sounds great, but I’ve heard that before.

“Freedom to choose how to overcome challenges,” sounds like an open-world game to me. “We believe a game should never be a fixed experience fed to the player.” Ok, definitely sounds like an open-world game.

So, who is leading the new studio? 2K tapped former LucasArts vet Haden Blackman to lead Hanger 13. Blackman began as a writer at LucasArts Entertainment, and later became the franchise director and senior executive producer for the Star Wars video game franchise.

He was “instrumental” in shaping and launching the best Star Wars video game of all time, Knights of the Old Republic. Yep, now I’m pumped.

“It was an easy choice bringing on a talented creative mind and proven leader like Haden Blackman to head our new 2K studio,” said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K, in a press release. “Under Blackman’s direction, Hangar 13 will lead the charge in creating some of the most memorable AAA experiences of this generation.”

“At Hangar 13, our mantra is ‘Every player story is unique,’” said Blackman. “Our ambition is to create next-generation games that allow players to shape their own experiences, from the moment-to-moment gameplay, to the long-term impact on the world, characters and narrative. To realize this goal, we’re building proprietary technology and assembling a core team passionate about delivering mature experiences loaded with meaningful choices.”

Hell, give me a new IP and I’ll be excited.

Maybe we’ll see our first glimpse of Hanger 13’s work at tomorrow’s The Game Awards. Probably too soon, but you never know.

Check out Hanger 13’s team page to see who else working with the studio. Key names that jump out at me include executive producer Andrew Wilson (worked on Splinter Cell: Blacklist) and art director Dave Smith (lead character artist on The Force Unleashed and lead artist on Star Wars: 1313 (R.I.P.).